Laptop batteries re-use

Hello all Instructables users (who read the forums anyway)

I'm hoping to get an old laptop with a broken hard drive and @ sign on the keyboard.

My plan is to turn this into a media pc, running off AC continuously (when needed, obviously, not all the time). Plug in a new hard drive, a tv and (possibly wireless) keyboard with trackball (and use an old android phone as controller too, maybe - a side project), and install geexbox, and there we go...

But, this leaves an old laptop battery, which AFAIK holds a perfectly suitable charge, with nothing to do.

Having just got an ebook reader, and being someone who enjoys a quiet read sometimes, I would quite like to use this battery to power a light so that I can read with as little impact to the environment as possible - I reckon a laptop battery would last a fair while with a few high power LED's. I'd also like to leave it in it's original packaging so that I can recharge it fairly easily.

Is this a pointless pipe dream? Is this dangerous, as it's a Li-Po battery? Can I canvas for thoughts?

Did you make this instructable?

I know it is very very late to reply (just saw this) may be you have done the project already.

I don't know if you are following it or not. But from my knowledge, you should be able to make an LEDs Light out of it if you can find voltage out of the battery connectors.One problem could be is to find how much charge is left in the battery, but that can be solved by monitoring how long it is powering the LEDs and using that as a bench mark. One final thought keeping it in its original form has it advantage like charging it with ease, but the weight will be a drawback since it will weigh more and you might be hold the ebook reader for quite sometime and could lead to pain or sore hands.

If you decided to take apart the battery and use the lithium cells to make the LED light check out this for how to take apart and you can make a USB LED light and use it as the reading light.